Monday, June 22, 2015

THIS CAKE has become mandatory in our household after strawberry picking.

First comes the canning of homemade jam, then second in line is THIS CAKE...and I only make it during strawberry season, because store-bought strawberries will NEVER yield the same flavour in this recipe as freshly picked, sun-ripened, rain-drizzled strawberries.

In a medium bowl, sift together 2 1/4 cups of the flour, baking soda and salt. Grate in lemon zest and set aside. In another medium bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then with a spatula, fold in 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Beat in a bit of the flour mixture, then a bit of the yogurt, alternating between the two, until just incorporated (ending with flour).

Toss the fresh strawberries in another bowl with the leftover 1/4 cup of flour. Gently fold into the batter (the batter will be thick). Scoop batter in the pan evenly. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then (if your Bundt pan has two parts) gently take out the tube portion of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely (I left mine overnight to have ready the next day). Once cooled, use a very slim knife to help release the cake from the bottom and around the center of the pan. Gently lift out of the tube and place the cake on a cake platter. For the drizzle, whisk together yogurt, vanilla 1 Tbsp lemon juice and icing sugar. Drizzle on the cake.